Arkayvizyon 3

Arkayvizyon 3 will be the third edition of the Chant Ka Arkayvizyon, the national selection event to determine the Arkaystian song in the Maia Song Contest. It will be hosted in Prekysta, in the Glomrau Arena. The contest will consist of TBA songs, and the winning song will represent Arkaystia in the Maia Song Contest 3. On the 14th of August 2016 it was announced by the Arkaystian Head of Delegation that the artist that would represent Arkaystia in the 3rd edition of the Maia Song Contest would be internally selected. The decision came after some artists put themselves forward for the 3rd Arkayvizyon contest however a panel of music specialists decided one of those stood out and that they should represent the country in the next contest.

On the 26 August 2016 it was announced that married duo Karmin would represent Arkaystia in Maia Song Contest 3 but that their song would be selected by an international jury and a national televote as in the previous editions of the contest. However Karmin responded to these reports and claimed they were false, but that they would be competing in the next contest.

Format Change
For the third contest the format of Arkayvizyon was changed again. The number of songs competing was reduced to 12 entries and the semi-final method was scrapped in favour of a one night marathon final. The change came after reduced viewership and voting in the semi finals of the previous contest. The voting system was also changed. It would not vote the typical MSC voting system of 12, 10, 8-1 points with the bottom 2 entries receiving 0.5 of a point where they failed to make top 10 within an international jury or internal televote ranking.

Returning Artists
Dua Lipa returned to the contest following her win in Arkayvizyon 1 which subsequently saw her place 3rd in the first Maia Song Contest.

Participants
MK & Becky Hill are a duo who have come together to create a song for Arkayvizyon. Hill provides the vocals in an uptempo current track. When asked about their chances Hill stated that "they're here for the fun the contest brings" and that the contest "provides lesser known artists with amazing visibility. They will showcase their song "Piece Of Me" and will open the final.

YAYA & Felin are another duo who have collaborated for the contest. The relatively unknown artists came together to create a synth-rock number called "It's Alright" which tackles the issues of female abuse. When asked about the sensitive issue Felin stated that she "just wanted to let all the women out their it's alright".

Maria Hazell is a singer from Prekysta, Tretsk. The young and upcoming singer will be singing her debut single, "Golden Boy" which has a modern twist on a ballad. Hazell was included in the final after winning an online poll by the Arkayvizyon website, approved by the Arkaystian delegation.

AlunaGeorge, Leikeli47 & Dreezy are another collaboration for the contest. They will be singing their urban electronic number "Mean What I Mean" which brings together a mash of genres. When asked about their chances in an interview with Ka Rumar! magazine Dreezy stated that "they want to apply to the youth of Arkaystia and move music forward".

ALMA is a singer-songwriter from Helgaheim, Jamalova Islands. The young singer with a unique look will be bringing her underground track "Karma" to the contest. When asked about her image in an interview with MSC News she stated "it's ALMA".

Violet Chachki is a drag performer from Prekysta, Tretsk. Chachki is known for her interest in bdsm and likes to bring it into her art, including her music. Chachki will be singing their song "Bettie" for the contest. The artist has sparked controversy over the rumoured staging of the song after the song's video sparked some negative media attention. When asked about their plan by Ka Rumar! Chachki stated that they "did not give a f*ck what people thought and that they can suck my d*ck" which circled widely around social media.

Karmin are a married pop duo from Prekysta, Tretsk. After a series of rumours that Karmin had been internally selected to represent Arkaystia the pair announced that the rumours were false, but that they would be appearing in the national final selection. The duo will be singing their song "Acapella" which has already charted in the country, making it one of the favourites going into the contest. When asked about their chances by ATV Music radio host, Stefjan Kaysic, the pair stated that they were "here to win but it's the taking part that counts. Who doesn't love Arkayvizyon?"

Highasakite is a group from Arkyiv, Arkaykiv. The group formed in 2011. The band will be bringing their indie pop vibes to the contest with their song "Golden Ticket" which lead vocalist Håvik hopes will "caress listeners souls".

Alex Newell is a singer and actor from Olgogradov, Jamalova Islands. He will be singing his summery pop number "This Ain't Over" where he sings about self belief and empowerment. Newell has received a lot of positive attention for his work in the LGBT community and in an interview with ATV News he stated that "Arkayvizyon is a platform where everyone can be the person they want to be. It shines a positive light throughout the country".

Young Wonder is a band from Drakkonebo, Dragonae. The relatively new band will be bringing their song "To You" to the contest. The song stands out for it's unique use of instruments.

 SEREBRO is a girl group from Prekysta, Tretsk. They come into the contest as one of Arkaystia's best known artists, scoring four number ones in the national charts. They will be singing their pop number "Отпусти меня (Let Me Go)". The women will have the only non-English song in the contest, and they hope this will increase their chances to do well.

Dua Lipa is a singer-songwriter from Prekysta, Tretsk. She was the winner of the very first Arkayvizyon contest with her song "Hotter Than Hell" which went on to come 3rd in Maia Song Contest 1. Lipa is the first act to return to Arkayvizyon. She will sing her song "Blow Your Mind (MWAH)" which closes the show. When asked by Ka Rumar! magazine if she thought she would steamroll the competition Lipa replied with "please respect the other artists in this competiton. Go out and buy their music. Support your country!" The rant by Lipa garnered widespread support from her fellow competitors.

Promotional Tours
Some of the contestants went on promotional tours to gather support from international juries.

Karmin visited Zycantia where they sang at the Zycantival Grand Prix, the national final of Zycantia, after a personal invite from the host of the show, Shaniqua "Shaniqua Diva" Stevic. Reports from the host country were very receptive of the performance.

Violet Chachki also visited Zycantia and performed at the Zycantival Grand Prix. Their appearance however was drenched in controversy with Viridian president Shaniqua "Shaniqua Diva" Stevic stating that the performance was "pornography and that the contest needed to remain classy". However this initial backlash from the host was met with outrage by viewer who demanded that Chachki's performance was allowed to be shown. The statement by Stevic was later retracted. She also stated she would be "willing to lend Chachki a hand to help with the performance in any way she could" although it is unknown if Stevic was being sincere or not. Chachki's performance gained widespread social media attention as #Chachki and #YasssChachki trended in Zycantia during the show.

Dua Lipa visited Svu & Swae as part of her promotional tour for the contest and her upcoming album. Her performance took place on Swae TV's most popular Saturday night chat show. Lipa previously received 12 points from Svu & Swae at the first Maia Song Contest.

Results
A playlist of the final is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t867nz_OQos&list=PLU8TCgxXD3lqnNpHs0Cw8YJEk0k6urIvs

A recap of the final is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86QbfCL1qWc

Natasha Bogdanova
On the 1 September 2016 Natasha Bogdanova announced via social media that she had submitted 3 songs to Arkayvizyon due to her dual citizenship of Zycantia and Arkaystia. When the songs were announced Bogdanova went on a Twitter rant claiming that the Arkayvizyon selection committee had been paid off by Shaniqua "Shaniqua Diva" Stevic to discard her entries. The accusations came after an ongoing feud between the pair after Bogdanova was removed from the Zycantival Grand Prix contest for Maia Song Contest 2. The Head of Arkaystian Delegation was forced to release a statement after an inquiry by the ATV, the national broadcaster, who feared their position at Maia Song Contest 3 would be jeopardized if they did not comment on the matter. Dani Slavica, an ATV representative stated in her interview with ATV News that Bogdanova's claims were "false" and that "her songs were 3 of several thousand submitted to the contest". She continued by saying Bogdanova "threw the reputation of the contest into disarray" and that the "Arkayvizyon supervisors would work relentlessly to repair it". Outspoken and controversial Stevic has yet to comment on the matter.

Provocative Chachki Performance
During the final performances Violet Chachki's "Bettie" raised eyebrows for it's provocativeness which led to several complaints from TV watchdog Sjiebo. The complaints submitted to the watchdog included nudity, pornography and vulgarity. Chachki stated that her performance was "art" and that "she did not care what people thought". The performance was defended by the Arkayvizyon committee who remained clear that inclusiveness was a key component of what the contest offers. The performance was also defended vigorously by Viridian president Shaniqua "Shaniqua Diva" Stevic who said the performance was "the best she had ever seen outside of her own performances". Stevic had also provided the materials for Chachki's performance from her range of BDSM products.